I went to Chimac Fest for the obvious reasons.
Fried chicken.
Cold drinks.
Music.
And the general promise that I would make responsible food decisions and then immediately abandon them.
But somehow, the thing I kept thinking about afterward wasn't even the chicken.
It was a Korean snack.
More specifically, it was a box of tiny chicken legs.
Except they weren't chicken legs.
They were snacks.
And apparently, their official U.S. name is:
Dakdari Drumpops.
Drumpops.
I'm sorry, but that is an excellent snack name.
Someone looked at a miniature crunchy drumstick and apparently decided that "drumstick-shaped snack" was nowhere near fun enough.
And honestly?
They were right.
I Knew I Had Seen These Before
The second I saw the bright red Nongshim box at Chimac Fest, something clicked.
Wait. I know these.
I remembered seeing Dakdari when I lived in Korea.
And it is not an easy snack to forget.
Most snacks are circles.
Squares.
Maybe a triangle if the company is feeling adventurous.
Dakdari said:
No. We are making the entire chicken leg.
Each piece is shaped like a tiny drumstick, complete with the chunky little top and skinny handle.
It is absurd.
It is adorable.
It also happens to taste really good.
What I remembered most wasn't heat—which is probably surprising if most of your Korean food experience involves spicy ramyun.
It was the savory flavor.
Salty, crunchy, chicken-seasoned, and dangerously easy to keep eating.
The kind of snack where you say, "I'll have a few," and then suddenly you're staring into an empty box wondering who did this to you.
(It was you.)
Then My Korean Friend Said, “Oh, We Ate Those as Kids”
This is when I realized I had completely misunderstood Dakdari.
I thought it was just one of those quirky Korean snacks I happened to notice while living there.
My Korean friend reacted like I'd just discovered something incredibly obvious.
Basically:
“Dakdari? Of course. We ate that when we were kids.”
Turns out, this little chicken leg has history.
Nongshim's official company timeline lists Dakdari in 1988.
1988.
For perspective, Dakdari has been shaped like a tiny chicken leg for longer than some of us have been shaped like adults.
So what looked like a funny novelty snack to me was actually something closer to childhood nostalgia for a lot of Koreans.
And then Reddit entered the chat.
Reddit Apparently Has the Same Childhood Memory
While looking into Dakdari, I found a recent post on r/KoreanFood that basically confirmed everything my friend had told me.
The title alone says a lot:
The poster remembered getting it during trips to Korean and Asian grocery stores with their parents.
Then they found Dakdari again years later and came to a very adult conclusion:
Childhood snack → adult beer snack.
That's character development.
And possibly the most appropriate possible evolution for a snack I rediscovered at an event called Chimac Fest.
So What Exactly Are Dakdari Drumpops?
Shop Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops on Amazon →
Let's deal with the name first.
Dak (닭) = chicken.
Dari (다리) = leg.
So “Dakdari” basically means:
Chicken leg.
Extremely descriptive.
Then for the U.S. market, we get:
Dakdari Drumpops.
Which sounds less like something from the snack aisle and more like a fictional K-pop group made entirely of chicken drumsticks.
I would stream them.
Why Dakdari Is Such a Memorable Korean Snack
The shape gets your attention.
The flavor is why you keep eating it.
Dakdari Original is built around a savory fried-chicken-style flavor rather than extreme spice.
Think:
Savory. Salty. Crispy. Chicken-seasoned.
It isn't trying to be the hottest thing you've ever eaten.
It isn't coated in sugar.
And it isn't really a regular potato chip.
The texture is chunkier and airier, with a satisfying crunch that feels closer to a shaped snack than a thin chip.
If your search history looks something like:
- best Korean snacks
- savory Korean snacks
- Korean snacks to try
- unique Korean snacks
- Korean snacks that aren't too spicy
Dakdari makes a lot of sense as a recommendation.
Someone at Chimac Fest Turned It Into a Walking Taco
This was probably my favorite thing about seeing Dakdari at the festival.
Nongshim took Dakdari...
and made Walking Tacos.
At first, I thought:
Sure. Why not.
We're already eating chicken-leg-shaped Korean snacks at a festival built around chicken, beer, Korean culture, and EDM.
Reality has clearly become flexible.
Cheese.
Salsa.
Creamy sauce.
Jalapeños.
Guacamole.
And underneath all of it:
Tiny crunchy Dakdari drumsticks.
This isn't traditional Korean food.
It isn't traditional Mexican food.
It may not even be traditional Walking Taco behavior.
But it looked fantastic.
What Is a Dakdari Walking Taco?
A normal Walking Taco usually starts with a bag of tortilla or corn chips.
You open the bag, dump toppings inside, grab a fork, and walk around eating it without needing a plate.
Extremely American.
Extremely practical.
Potentially dangerous to a white shirt.
At Chimac Fest, Dakdari replaced the regular chips.
And that switch actually made sense.
Because Dakdari pieces are thicker than normal chips, they don't immediately disappear under the toppings.
They keep their crunch.
They hold seasoning.
And aesthetically?
Come on.
A Walking Taco made out of miniature chicken-leg snacks at a chicken-and-beer festival.
That's commitment to the bit.
Now I Want to Make One at Home
I haven't stopped thinking about it.
Here's my unofficial Sally version:
- Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops
- shredded cheese
- fresh salsa
- jalapeños
- corn
- sour cream
- guacamole
- chopped green onion
And because I apparently cannot leave anything alone:
maybe a little gochujang mayo.
The only rule I would follow is not drowning the Dakdari in sauce.
These things earned their crunch.
Respect the drumstick.
Wait—What Exactly Is Chimac?
If you're new to Korean food culture, here's the important vocabulary lesson of the day.
Chimaek (치맥) combines:
chi from chicken
+
maek from maekju, the Korean word for beer.
Chicken + beer.
A language has rarely communicated an idea more efficiently.
Chimac Fest 2026 took that combination and basically turned up the volume.
The festival ran August 14–16 at Great Park Live in Irvine and brought together K-Chicken, K-Beer, K-Food, K-Culture, and EDM.
By day: Korean food and culture festival.
By night: DJs and EDM.
At some point in between:
apparently Walking Tacos made out of Drumpops.
America, Korea.
We did it.
You can learn more about the festival at Chimac Fest .
Is Dakdari Spicy?
This is probably the question I'd expect from anyone whose Korean snack education started with fire noodles.
Not particularly.
The Original Dakdari is much more about savory fried-chicken-style seasoning than chili heat.
If your search history looks something like:
- best Korean snacks
- Korean snacks to try
- Korean snacks that aren't spicy
- savory Korean snacks
this is exactly the kind of product I'd put on the list.
You get something distinctly Korean without needing to psychologically prepare for lunch.
Is It Actually Supposed to Taste Like Fried Chicken?
Sort of.
I wouldn't bite into one expecting the experience of eating an actual fried chicken drumstick.
That would be asking a lot from a 2.32-ounce box.
It's better to think of Dakdari as capturing the snack version of fried chicken:
- savory seasoning
- a crunchy coating-like texture
- saltiness
- and that “I'll just eat one more” problem
On Amazon, the U.S. product is listed as Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops Original, Korean Chicken Snack Chips.
Why I'd Put Dakdari on a Korean Snack Starter List
There are easier Korean snacks to explain.
Shrimp crackers taste like shrimp.
Onion rings look like onion rings.
Dakdari requires you to explain why you're holding a box containing what appears to be approximately 40 tiny chicken legs.
That is part of the appeal.
For someone exploring Korean snacks for the first time, I'd recommend it because it hits several things at once:
It's savory.
Not every Korean snack is sweet or insanely spicy.
It's crunchy.
Very crunchy.
It's weird in a good way.
Food should occasionally be fun.
It has history.
Nongshim's company history places Dakdari back in 1988, so this isn't some TikTok-era novelty.
And Koreans actually grew up with it.
The Reddit nostalgia post made that especially clear: the same snack that reads as a fun new Korean discovery to an American shopper can read as childhood to someone who grew up eating it.
That makes it much more interesting than another random snack recommendation.
Where Can You Buy Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops?
Fortunately, I do not have to wait for the next Chimac Fest to continue my research.
And by research, I mean eating Drumpops.
Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops Original is available in the U.S., including on Amazon.
Shop Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops on Amazon →
If you're searching for a savory Korean snack, something unusual for a party, or just want to know why Korean kids apparently spent decades eating tiny chicken legs:
this is a very reasonable place to start.
My Final Take: Come for Chimac, Stay for the Drumpops
I went to Chimac Fest expecting fried chicken.
I left planning a Walking Taco.
That's progress.
But the thing I genuinely liked about rediscovering Dakdari was realizing that it sits in this funny intersection between nostalgia and novelty.
To me, when I first saw it in Korea:
Whoa. That snack looks like a chicken leg.
To my Korean friend:
Obviously. Dakdari. I ate those as a kid.
To Reddit:
Childhood snack unlocked. Also, apparently excellent with beer.
And to someone at Chimac Fest:
Put guacamole on it.
Every generation contributed something.
Beautiful.
So yes, I recommend Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops.
They're savory.
They're crunchy.
They've been around since the '80s.
They look like tiny chicken legs.
And now I know they can apparently survive being covered in salsa and jalapeños.
What more do we need from a snack?
Actually, one thing.
It's August.
It's ridiculously hot.
I have Dakdari.
Someone bring the chicken.
Let's go get chimaek.
— Sally
Quick FAQ: Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops
What are Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops?
Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops are a savory Korean snack shaped like miniature chicken drumsticks. The Original version has a crunchy texture and fried-chicken-inspired savory seasoning.
What does Dakdari mean?
In Korean, dak means chicken and dari means leg, which explains the snack's distinctive miniature drumstick shape.
Is Dakdari a popular Korean snack?
Dakdari has a long history in Korea, with Nongshim's official company timeline listing the snack in 1988. Many Korean consumers remember it as a nostalgic childhood snack.
What do Dakdari Drumpops taste like?
Dakdari Drumpops are savory, salty, crunchy, and seasoned with a fried-chicken-inspired flavor. They are better known for savory flavor than intense heat.
Are Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops spicy?
The Original flavor is relatively mild and focuses more on savory Korean fried-chicken-style seasoning than strong chili heat.
What is a Dakdari Walking Taco?
A Dakdari Walking Taco uses crunchy Dakdari Drumpops in place of traditional tortilla chips, then adds toppings such as cheese, salsa, jalapeños, guacamole, and creamy sauce.
Where can I buy Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops?
Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops are available in the U.S. through select retailers and on Amazon .
Sources & further reading:
Chimac Fest · Nongshim History · r/KoreanFood Dakdari Discussion · Nongshim Dakdari Drumpops on Amazon
